While the literary classic, “The Secret Garden” was about children planting flowers in a specially constructed garden on a large English estate, you can also create your own secret garden consisting of flowers, plants, fruits and vegetables even if you only live in an apartment. The key to all the tips in planning and planting your secret garden is that you keep within your means and use the tools that you have to bring Mother Nature inside your home if you do not have the space outside. This is also an important preparation to make sure you and your family will have enough supply of food in case SHTF.

Moreover, you’ll need to have the time, effort, and energy to maintain your garden, so before you begin you should look over your own schedule to see how much time is available. The good news is that even for very busy individuals, there are plants that require little maintenance once they are planted.

Find the Right Places Around Your Home

What you need to do first in planning your secret garden is inspecting your home and property for the right location. If you are going to place plants inside, you have two basic choices. Either you can go with a hydroponic garden system which means artificial lighting and no soil. Or, you can go with using areas that are well lit by the sun.

For the latter, you’ll need to identify locations that receive plenty of sunlight as well as those that do not. This is important because some plants do better in lower light conditions. If you choose to go with a hydroponic garden, then you’ll need to find a room or even a closet to hold the system.

Choose the Plants

Now that you know what you have to work with, the next step is finding the right plants that fit the amount of sunlight that comes into the home or can be used in a hydroponic garden. For hydroponic gardens, most people choose to grow fruits and vegetables since they can be operated the year-round. If you are looking more towards flowers and beautifying the home, then you’ll need to choose right plants that fit the sunlight available.

Setting a Schedule

Both hydroponic and natural gardens need to be maintained properly if you are going to have healthy plants. You can start by setting a schedule based on the type of garden that you have put into place. Plants in soil need to be watered according to their own schedule and checked for any indications of too much or too little light so they can be addressed before anything serious sets in place.

Hydroponic gardens are different since you are maintaining the system more than the individual plants. This means that the water will need to be checked and regulated for the proper pH balance so the plants can grow accordingly. Be sure to create a schedule that you can keep so your plants will be healthy.

Creating a secret garden offers several advantages that includes beautifying your home, growing fruits and vegetables to lower your food bill, and the joy of gardening itself, which provides a wonderful feeling for those who can see the plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables comes to life.